Above & Beyond return to The Pageant in St. Louis for another round of much-needed group therapy

If you’re ever going through a tough time, you can always count on Above & Beyond to allow you to escape for a couple of hours – and boy did we need it.

Above & Beyond have always been one of my favorite trio’s in electronic dance music, ever since catching them on their “Group Therapy” tour in 2012. Ever since then I became an instant fan and have watched them perform any chance I could.

The reason I love them so much is because, Above & Beyond have always been in the forefront of P.L.U.R. – peace, love, unity, respect. Not just with their music, but also their shows. Throughout their shows, they like to type positive messages on their laptop and have it displayed on the LED screen behind them. Their shows are always an emotional rollercoaster. You’re happy and sad at the same time. It’s something that is hard to explain unless you experience it for yourself. There’s something about their lyrics that blend perfectly with euphoric trance music that makes you feel empowered. Their albums are always a call for unity such as “Group Therapy”, “We Are All That We Need” and their latest album “Common Ground”. Their overall message is, it doesn’t matter where you come from or what your beliefs are, we are all human and will always find common ground with one another. At least that’s how I always interpret them.

Anjunadeep artist Luttrell was setting the vibe with a perfect blend of deep and progressive house, getting the crowd warmed up. Above & Beyond’s set was scheduled to begin at 9:30 and they were right on the dot. As an avid concert goer, this is rare. I’m used to times getting moved around due to unforeseen circumstances, so this was a treat. It’s the little things. Above & Beyond’s set was mostly their own originals, but with some Anjunabeats artist sprinkled here and there. That’s why I love listening to their sets, it’s mostly their own music and not everyone else’s. In the EDM world, this is rare. Normally, you can’t distinguish who’s DJ’ing because most pop DJ’s play mostly everyone else’s music. Which is fine, but the DJ’s that play all original tracks tend to stand out to me.

One of the most exciting moments they always save towards the end of the night. They always play “Sun and Moon” and pick a lucky person from the crowd to “push the button”. They let the song build up to just before the drop, and randomly select a fan to come up on stage, and push the play button for an epic climax and epic end of the night.

Above & Beyond concerts are always something positive and special that I always look forward to, especially to escape the harsh realities of life. I highly recommend you catch one of their shows, even if you’re not much of a dance music fan. This is something everyone needs to experience.

Ismael is a St. Louis based concert photographer and urban explorer. If he's not in the photo pit, he's usually exploring urban decay and abandoned buildings in North St. Louis. Check out his work on instagram.com/izzyspazzin.

Above & Beyond return to The Pageant in St. Louis for another round of much-needed group therapy

By Ismael Valenzuela

If you’re ever going through a tough time, you can always count on Above & Beyond to allow you to escape for a couple of hours – and boy did we need it.

Above & Beyond have always been one of my favorite trio’s in electronic dance music, ever since catching them on their “Group Therapy” tour in 2012. Ever since then I became an instant fan and have watched them perform any chance I could.

The reason I love them so much is because, Above & Beyond have always been in the forefront of P.L.U.R. – peace, love, unity, respect. Not just with their music, but also their shows. Throughout their shows, they like to type positive messages on their laptop and have it displayed on the LED screen behind them. Their shows are always an emotional rollercoaster. You’re happy and sad at the same time. It’s something that is hard to explain unless you experience it for yourself. There’s something about their lyrics that blend perfectly with euphoric trance music that makes you feel empowered. Their albums are always a call for unity such as “Group Therapy”, “We Are All That We Need” and their latest album “Common Ground”. Their overall message is, it doesn’t matter where you come from or what your beliefs are, we are all human and will always find common ground with one another. At least that’s how I always interpret them.

Anjunadeep artist Luttrell was setting the vibe with a perfect blend of deep and progressive house, getting the crowd warmed up. Above & Beyond’s set was scheduled to begin at 9:30 and they were right on the dot. As an avid concert goer, this is rare. I’m used to times getting moved around due to unforeseen circumstances, so this was a treat. It’s the little things. Above & Beyond’s set was mostly their own originals, but with some Anjunabeats artist sprinkled here and there. That’s why I love listening to their sets, it’s mostly their own music and not everyone else’s. In the EDM world, this is rare. Normally, you can’t distinguish who’s DJ’ing because most pop DJ’s play mostly everyone else’s music. Which is fine, but the DJ’s that play all original tracks tend to stand out to me.

One of the most exciting moments they always save towards the end of the night. They always play “Sun and Moon” and pick a lucky person from the crowd to “push the button”. They let the song build up to just before the drop, and randomly select a fan to come up on stage, and push the play button for an epic climax and epic end of the night.

Above & Beyond concerts are always something positive and special that I always look forward to, especially to escape the harsh realities of life. I highly recommend you catch one of their shows, even if you’re not much of a dance music fan. This is something everyone needs to experience.